Each year, the Learning Societies UnConference (LSUC) convenes a diverse network of individuals and communities who challenge dominant paradigms of education, development, and social organisation. Far from being a conventional event, LSUC seeks to open a space to imagine and resist the monoculture of thought in order to rethink and imagine how institutionalised schooling, consumer-driven progress, and top-down models of change at times undermine local knowledge, autonomy, and imagination. Since its inception in 2002, LSUC has grounded itself in the idea of swaraj, not merely as self-rule, but as a deeper commitment to self-responsibility, community agency, and ecological interdependence. As a long-standing advocate for these values, the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) has been part of the organising cohort of LSUC to reimagine notions of development, modernity, consumption, access, and participation. In doing so, it also brings over two decades of grassroots digital knowledge and experience into a space of collaboration and co-creation.
DEF’s work across rural and marginalised geographies reflects many of the values LSUC holds central, but its presence also invites interrogation of what it means to engage with technology through a decolonial and community-driven lens. DEF’s own initiatives, including the Soochnapreneur program, Digital Swaraj Fellowship, and Digikargha and many more are also built on the same premise that digital technologies must be utilised in a way that promotes community empowerment. The idea is to promote self-reliant and participatory development. For instance, the Soochnapreneur model exemplifies this by supporting local communities to become digital entrepreneurs who deliver citizen services and bridge the information gap at the grassroots. This is to enable self-rule, where people are no longer dependent on external actors but are equipped to lead change themselves. These social entrepreneurs act as problem-solvers, bridging structural gaps in governance, digital connectivity, access and social justice. Similarly, the Digital Swaraj Fellowship challenges traditional models of education by immersing young professionals in underserved communities, promoting learning by doing and co-creation of locally relevant solutions. This not only deepens fellows’ understanding of systemic inequalities but ensures that community knowledge and participation are central to the process. It is a shift from top-down intervention to mutual empowerment, where learning is reciprocal and communities are equal stakeholders. Furthermore, a strong emphasis is placed on sustainable infrastructure. For instance, DEF’s digital centres are guided by circular economy principles, built to minimise energy consumption while maximising social impact. These centres function as innovation hubs that can be easily accessed by a whole village for services, which means that they also reduce additional consumption of electronic devices and data. The centres also serve as repair cafes where electronic waste can be repaired, recycled, and refurbished. At the core, there is also a critical commitment to democratising digital platforms. Through platforms such as Digital Citizen Summit, Community Network Xchange, ReDef, World Summit Awards, and the Just AI Awards, it is ensured that those at the margins not only gain access but also lead, question, and shape digital ecosystems via advocacy. This represents a radical rethinking of digital development, one that centers autonomy, sustainability, and equity in building inclusive futures.
To engage with the LSUC community, share our work and participate meaningfully, DEF also showcased some of its initiatives at LSUC.
A key part of DEF’s presence at LSUC 2025 was the Museum of Digital Society (MODS), a mobile, living archive that showcases how digital transformation has evolved across India, particularly in rural and marginalised communities. MODS centres stories, tools and models of digital innovation built from the ground up. Spanning over two decades of field work across 800+ locations, the museum presented case studies and interactive exhibits that trace how communities have used digital tools to claim entitlements, improve local governance, build livelihood networks, and access information once kept out of reach. Rather than offering a celebratory narrative of “digital India,” MODS prompts a deeper inquiry: Who is being included, and on whose terms? The space functioned as an archive of achievements and as a shared learning environment, with the hope of inviting visitors to engage with questions of access, equity, and digital rights within broader frameworks of justice and community well-being. Alongside MODS, DEF conducted a hands-on e-waste upcycling workshop. Using over 1,000 discarded keyboard keys, participants, including children, created artworks. The workshop was about rethinking our relationship with technology and asking what it means to create, connect, and consume more consciously. DEF also displayed functional objects made from e-waste, including a sound system, fan, and home décor, showcasing how innovation can emerge from repair and reuse, to reflect on sustainability, circular design, and the value of reclaiming materials that are generally discarded.
At the knowledge stall, DEF presented its publications and research on digital rights, misinformation, and digital access to spark conversations around the status of the digital divide and information gap in India. A wide range of handcrafted pieces from Digikargha were showcased at LSUC. Digikargha is a platform that celebrates India’s digital artisans and works to safeguard the interests of traditional craftspeople. Among the highlights was the work of Vidhoda, an artisan from the indigenous Toda community in Ooty, who presented rare pieces of Toda embroidery. This unique craft, made by bold red and black threads embroidered onto white cloth, carries centuries of cultural knowledge and symbolism from the Nilgiris region. With only a handful of practitioners left, Toda embroidery is now considered endangered. The exhibit was presented as a reminder of the importance of supporting such traditions, which are a living heritage in a world of fast fashion.
DEF also hosted a Media and Information Literacy (MIL) game session using a custom Snakes and Ladders game. Children learned about online safety, fake news, privacy, and cyberbullying all through play. The session offered a safe, interactive space to explore how young people navigate the internet and how we can equip them to do it wisely.
Lastly, in a session with students from Kumaraguru College of Technology (KCT), Mr. Osama Manzar, Founder-Director of DEF, delivered a talk on digital dividend and digital stress. As part of the session, an interactive activity invited students to reflect on both the benefits and challenges of technology. On one side of a large chart paper, students wrote about the advantages increased access, opportunities, and connectivity. On the other side, they shared concerns digital exclusion, data misuse, surveillance, and mental fatigue. The activity was later opened up to all attendees, encouraging a broader reflection on how digital tools impact different lives in different ways. To conclude, DEF’s presence at LSUC 2025 marks its commitment to inclusive, community-led digital empowerment. Through art, dialogue, and innovation, we open up possibilities for rethinking technology as a tool for justice, sustainability, and self-determined futures.